OT: Zechariah 9:1-17
For the first eight verses of today's reading, the prophecy turns negative, warning Hadrach, Damascus, Hamath, Tyre, Sidon, Ashkelon, Gaza, Ekron, and Ashdod that they will be conquered. I don't know if those are separate kingdoms or different towns in the same kingdom, but the bottom line is, things will take a turn for the worse for them.
Verse 9 reverts back to positive messages for Jerusalem. In that verse, Zechariah prophecies of a future king:
"See, your king comes to you,
righteous and having salvation,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey."
Of course, we believe that Jesus fulfilled this prophecy during the triumphal entry.
The rest of the prophecy continues with good news for Jerusalem, news of prisoners being released, battles being won, and prosperity returning and strengthening the people.
NT: Revelation 17:1-18
Today, we are introduced to a prostitute who kills saints and sleeps with the kings of lots of nations. A beast with ten horns will eventually kill her.
One phrase that was repeated several times in this passage really encapsulates my frustration with Revelation: "The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction." The idea of something once existing, not currently existing, and existing again in the future is simple enough to grasp, and yet...what?? I get the idea, but not the application. Perhaps the reason I don't get it is that, "This calls for a mind with wisdom," and clearly, I am lacking in that area (9).
I do see, though, why my dad is a preterist. I think that's what it is called. Basically, he thinks that the events in Revelation already happened, that the language is all symbolic, and it is mostly to do with Rome. Verses like verse 9 seem to indicate to me that John expects his audience to understand much more of what he is saying than I do. And if that is true, then he must be writing about current events and kingdoms, things "a mind with wisdom" can grasp. I know it is not the popular view to say that Revelation already happened or is purely symbolic, but that's how I'm personally leaning.
Psalm 145:1-21
An ode to God's faithfulness, which spans the generations.
Prov. 30:32
This one is kind of funny: it tells people who have played the fool or planned evil to cover their mouths. Kind of silly sounding.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
December 25
Merry Christmas, everyone! I hope your day is filled with blessings.
OT: Zechariah 8:1-23
This has probably been true for awhile, but it hit me while reading today that Zechariah is giving good news to the people. That is definitely a reversal from the typical prophecies we have been reading. But the remnant is now back from exile and ready to rebuild the Temple, and Zechariah's words are full of encouragement and hope.
The overall picture from today's reading is one of reunification. Zechariah paints an image of God's scattered people all coming back together in Jerusalem and living in harmony and peace:
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God'" (7-8).
It occurs to me that this imagery is very similar to how I picture heaven. I know that I have brothers and sisters scattered across the globe and across time. Some have been brutally ripped from this earth and others pass peacefully, but the bottom line, the hope, is that we will all be brought together in heaven, much like these Israelites were brought together in Jerusalem.
Two verses I read that made me feel very blessed were verses 4-5:
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.'"
Right now, I'm celebrating Christmas with my husband's parents and his grandmother. His grandmother will be 85 years old on Sunday, and she often uses a cane. And she is celebrating Christmas with my 4 year old and 2 year old, who play around her while she rests in a chair. This picture, as normal as it seems to me, is an indication of a stable, peaceful society. When societies are in turmoil, infant mortality rates are high, and people don't live as long. Thus, Zechariah's prophecy of a city filled with old people and children is a prophecy of stability and peace. I know that that should be obvious, but I guess I am so used to that type of society that I take it for granted. Reading that passage made me very thankful for my society.
NT: Revelation 16:1-21
Well, even though things were looking up in Zechariah's day, all is not well here in the end times. The seven plagues are poured out of their bowls onto the earth, and they are very reminiscent of the plagues that struck Egypt in Moses' day. People break out into painful sores, rivers (and even oceans) turn to blood, darkness comes upon the earth, and demon frogs are unleashed. In addition, the sun scorches people and there is a giant earthquake. Oh, and there is also hail, which was an Egyptian plague.
Like the Exodus story, these plagues seem to continue because of the people's refusal to repent and turn to God (9,11). In the Exodus story, it was Pharoah who refused to repent, but here, it is the people as a whole. And like the Exodus story, there is some confusion over what is driving the plagues: in both stories, it seems to be some combination of God's will and man's stubbornness.
In the end, Babylon is destroyed.
Psalm 144:1-15
David asks for God to rescue him, even while understanding the fleeting nature of life:
"O Lord, what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow" (3-4).
Prov. 30:29-31
Like yesterday, today's reading is another set of four, which is also an ode to strong animals.
OT: Zechariah 8:1-23
This has probably been true for awhile, but it hit me while reading today that Zechariah is giving good news to the people. That is definitely a reversal from the typical prophecies we have been reading. But the remnant is now back from exile and ready to rebuild the Temple, and Zechariah's words are full of encouragement and hope.
The overall picture from today's reading is one of reunification. Zechariah paints an image of God's scattered people all coming back together in Jerusalem and living in harmony and peace:
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'I will save my people from the countries of the east and the west. I will bring them back to live in Jerusalem; they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God'" (7-8).
It occurs to me that this imagery is very similar to how I picture heaven. I know that I have brothers and sisters scattered across the globe and across time. Some have been brutally ripped from this earth and others pass peacefully, but the bottom line, the hope, is that we will all be brought together in heaven, much like these Israelites were brought together in Jerusalem.
Two verses I read that made me feel very blessed were verses 4-5:
"This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age. The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there.'"
Right now, I'm celebrating Christmas with my husband's parents and his grandmother. His grandmother will be 85 years old on Sunday, and she often uses a cane. And she is celebrating Christmas with my 4 year old and 2 year old, who play around her while she rests in a chair. This picture, as normal as it seems to me, is an indication of a stable, peaceful society. When societies are in turmoil, infant mortality rates are high, and people don't live as long. Thus, Zechariah's prophecy of a city filled with old people and children is a prophecy of stability and peace. I know that that should be obvious, but I guess I am so used to that type of society that I take it for granted. Reading that passage made me very thankful for my society.
NT: Revelation 16:1-21
Well, even though things were looking up in Zechariah's day, all is not well here in the end times. The seven plagues are poured out of their bowls onto the earth, and they are very reminiscent of the plagues that struck Egypt in Moses' day. People break out into painful sores, rivers (and even oceans) turn to blood, darkness comes upon the earth, and demon frogs are unleashed. In addition, the sun scorches people and there is a giant earthquake. Oh, and there is also hail, which was an Egyptian plague.
Like the Exodus story, these plagues seem to continue because of the people's refusal to repent and turn to God (9,11). In the Exodus story, it was Pharoah who refused to repent, but here, it is the people as a whole. And like the Exodus story, there is some confusion over what is driving the plagues: in both stories, it seems to be some combination of God's will and man's stubbornness.
In the end, Babylon is destroyed.
Psalm 144:1-15
David asks for God to rescue him, even while understanding the fleeting nature of life:
"O Lord, what is man that you care for him,
the son of man that you think of him?
Man is like a breath;
his days are like a fleeting shadow" (3-4).
Prov. 30:29-31
Like yesterday, today's reading is another set of four, which is also an ode to strong animals.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
December 24
OT: Zechariah 6:1-7:14
Today's reading starts out with more horsemen. Zechariah and Revelation have been blurring together in their incomprehensibility, but it has begun to occur to me that there have been several motifs that Revelation has borrowed from OT prophecy. A few days ago, they both measured the Temple in some way, if I recall. And today, we have four horsemen from heaven who ride out into all the earth. It reminded me of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Not identical, but definitely similar images. I'm sure there are more similarities, but like I said, it's all jumbling together in my mind. One day, I'd like to do a real, in-depth study on biblical prophecy and hopefully make some sense of it all. Because of my skepticism of interpretations of Revelation, I think I would be more interested in looking at it from a literary angle, especially its relationship with OT prophecy. (And while I'm at it, some serious research on OT prophecy itself would be in order.)
Even though I got absolutely nothing but more confusion from chapter 6, chapter 7 struck a chord. It reminded me of Isaiah 48 (and Isaiah 1, for that matter) because it sharply criticized fasting and ceremonies that were not accompanied by justice and mercy. I found verses 5-6 to be particularly convicting: "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?" Those questions hit home, b/c, as a practicing Christian for twenty years, I can attest to the fact that it is so easy to do the outward stuff in a selfish way. Since I have grown up in church, for example, it is a comfort to me to attend. That's not a bad thing in itself, but there have definitely been times where I have gone to church more for the cultural comfort of attending than to worship and glorify God. Another example is Christmas. Christmas is obviously not in the Bible, and so it is not comparable to the required feast days referenced by the prophet here. But it is similar in that it is a holiday that originated to celebrate Christ's birth (well, that was the Christian origin, at least. I think it really originated to commemorate the winter solstice, but you know what I mean). And yet, it is so easy to celebrate Christmas without giving Christ's birth a second thought. It is so easy to eat and drink for ourselves at Christmas, rather than use it as a celebration to give glory to God.
Of course, part of me thinks that there is nothing wrong with enjoying church and nothing wrong with enjoying the non-religious parts of Christmas for their own sake. For Zechariah, though, the litmus test of motives is found in how the people treat others. According to Zechariah, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other" (7:9). I love that. I love how it stresses action and yet doesn't leave the heart out, either. Simply doing the right thing is not enough. We are supposed to have love in our hearts, as well. In I Cor. 13, Paul warns us that, "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." So it is more than outward actions; it takes love. Which is manifested in outward actions.
I'm going in circles. I think the bottom line is that the message I see in passages like this one is that, while the ceremonial worship of God is good and important, it is not enough. What is even more important is how we treat other people, which should be a reflection of the love we have for them in our hearts. We need both the love and the action; one without the other is not enough.
NT: Revelation 15:1-8
It's almost time for some serious plague action: seven bowls of plagues are about to be dumped out onto the world, and then God's wrath will be completed. I don't know if this is good or bad, but there is definitely consistency between the testaments when it comes to God's wrath. I hear a lot that the OT God is angry and vengeful, and the NT God is merciful and loving, and so the message of the Bible seems inconsistent. To be fair, however, I think that God's mercy is shown in the OT, and His wrath is definitely present in the NT, in everything from the harsh pronouncements of Jesus to the abrupt deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, to pretty much the whole book of Revelation. Again, I don't know if that should be considered a good thing or a bad thing. It is good b/c the Bible does paint a consistent picture for us. But it is bad b/c God's wrath is scary, and people have a hard time understanding it.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for today. I feel like there is much more to say here, but my brain has run out of steam.
Psalm 143:1-12
David pleads to God for relief from his enemies. I love a lot of this psalm. Verses 5-10 are all great. I think my favorite, though, is verse 8:
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul."
Prov. 30:24-28
These sets of four are so interesting. Today's set is an ode of sorts to animals. Ants are praised b/c they are hard workers that plan for the future; coneys are praised b/c they live in crags (why that's praiseworthy, I have no idea); locusts are praised b/c they work together in an egalitarian manner; and lizards are praised b/c they can go anywhere, even in palaces.
Today's reading starts out with more horsemen. Zechariah and Revelation have been blurring together in their incomprehensibility, but it has begun to occur to me that there have been several motifs that Revelation has borrowed from OT prophecy. A few days ago, they both measured the Temple in some way, if I recall. And today, we have four horsemen from heaven who ride out into all the earth. It reminded me of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. Not identical, but definitely similar images. I'm sure there are more similarities, but like I said, it's all jumbling together in my mind. One day, I'd like to do a real, in-depth study on biblical prophecy and hopefully make some sense of it all. Because of my skepticism of interpretations of Revelation, I think I would be more interested in looking at it from a literary angle, especially its relationship with OT prophecy. (And while I'm at it, some serious research on OT prophecy itself would be in order.)
Even though I got absolutely nothing but more confusion from chapter 6, chapter 7 struck a chord. It reminded me of Isaiah 48 (and Isaiah 1, for that matter) because it sharply criticized fasting and ceremonies that were not accompanied by justice and mercy. I found verses 5-6 to be particularly convicting: "Ask all the people of the land and the priests, 'When you fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh months for the past seventy years, was it really for me that you fasted? And when you were eating and drinking, were you not just feasting for yourselves?" Those questions hit home, b/c, as a practicing Christian for twenty years, I can attest to the fact that it is so easy to do the outward stuff in a selfish way. Since I have grown up in church, for example, it is a comfort to me to attend. That's not a bad thing in itself, but there have definitely been times where I have gone to church more for the cultural comfort of attending than to worship and glorify God. Another example is Christmas. Christmas is obviously not in the Bible, and so it is not comparable to the required feast days referenced by the prophet here. But it is similar in that it is a holiday that originated to celebrate Christ's birth (well, that was the Christian origin, at least. I think it really originated to commemorate the winter solstice, but you know what I mean). And yet, it is so easy to celebrate Christmas without giving Christ's birth a second thought. It is so easy to eat and drink for ourselves at Christmas, rather than use it as a celebration to give glory to God.
Of course, part of me thinks that there is nothing wrong with enjoying church and nothing wrong with enjoying the non-religious parts of Christmas for their own sake. For Zechariah, though, the litmus test of motives is found in how the people treat others. According to Zechariah, "This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other" (7:9). I love that. I love how it stresses action and yet doesn't leave the heart out, either. Simply doing the right thing is not enough. We are supposed to have love in our hearts, as well. In I Cor. 13, Paul warns us that, "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." So it is more than outward actions; it takes love. Which is manifested in outward actions.
I'm going in circles. I think the bottom line is that the message I see in passages like this one is that, while the ceremonial worship of God is good and important, it is not enough. What is even more important is how we treat other people, which should be a reflection of the love we have for them in our hearts. We need both the love and the action; one without the other is not enough.
NT: Revelation 15:1-8
It's almost time for some serious plague action: seven bowls of plagues are about to be dumped out onto the world, and then God's wrath will be completed. I don't know if this is good or bad, but there is definitely consistency between the testaments when it comes to God's wrath. I hear a lot that the OT God is angry and vengeful, and the NT God is merciful and loving, and so the message of the Bible seems inconsistent. To be fair, however, I think that God's mercy is shown in the OT, and His wrath is definitely present in the NT, in everything from the harsh pronouncements of Jesus to the abrupt deaths of Ananias and Sapphira, to pretty much the whole book of Revelation. Again, I don't know if that should be considered a good thing or a bad thing. It is good b/c the Bible does paint a consistent picture for us. But it is bad b/c God's wrath is scary, and people have a hard time understanding it.
Anyway, those are my thoughts for today. I feel like there is much more to say here, but my brain has run out of steam.
Psalm 143:1-12
David pleads to God for relief from his enemies. I love a lot of this psalm. Verses 5-10 are all great. I think my favorite, though, is verse 8:
"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,
for I have put my trust in you.
Show me the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul."
Prov. 30:24-28
These sets of four are so interesting. Today's set is an ode of sorts to animals. Ants are praised b/c they are hard workers that plan for the future; coneys are praised b/c they live in crags (why that's praiseworthy, I have no idea); locusts are praised b/c they work together in an egalitarian manner; and lizards are praised b/c they can go anywhere, even in palaces.
December 23
OT: Zechariah 4:1-5:11
Egad. More weird prophecies today, both in the OT and NT!
One of my weaknesses as a reader of prophecies is that I'm not great at picturing written descriptions of inanimate objects. I don't know what it is, b/c I have always tested really well in reading comprehension skills, but I just can never picture stuff like the tabernacle and Temple, or any kind of geographical layout just by reading about it. Today, I couldn't really even picture the lampstand, b/c, well, I don't use lampstands. And I don't know what the channels to the lights are. Or really, even what an olive branch looks like. I just do better with people and actions, rather than objects. Anyhow, there is this lampstand, and it is supposed to somehow represent Zerubbabel, who is going to rebuild the Temple. I think. And then they two olive branches are two people who "are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth" (4:14). Okay.
And then there is a flying scroll filled with curses and promises of banishment for thieves and people "who swear falsely by [God's] name" (5:3-4). And then there is a big measuring basket with a woman inside, who represents the sin of the people in the land. And I thought, "What is he saying about women here?" But then it was carried by two women angels (I guess they were angels; verse 9 says that "they had wings like those of a stork"), so I calmed down about the choice of gender. The women angels were taking the basket "to the country of Babylonia to build a house for it" (11). I don't know what that means, but it can't bode well for Babylonia.
NT: Revelation 14:1-20
And the weirdness continues. Is it bad that I sort of think Revelation doesn't apply to me? I mean, I know it is supposed to be telling about the end times and all, but the symbolism is so heavy that I can't make heads or tails of it. And because it is so inaccessible, I just don't feel, deep down, like I am the intended audience. I just feel like if this were for me, I would understand more about it. Even OT prophecies, which were most definitely not written for me, are generally more accessible than Revelation. So maybe saying that Revelation doesn't apply to me is using the wrong phrase. It's more like I don't think it is for me.
Today, there are 144,000 righteous men standing before the Lamb on Mount Zion. I guess we are on earth in this picture--I often have a hard time telling whether we are in heaven or on earth in Revelation. Like, there are humans in this picture, and there is Mount Zion, but what is the Lamb doing there? Anyway, the 144,000 are blameless and redeemed and good to go, but I did wonder why it was just men. At least, I assume it was just men b/c it talks about not defiling themselves with women. And that in itself sounded somewhat misogynistic to me, and then I had to wonder if I was reading too much into a text that I clearly understand nothing about.
Do I have to keep summarizing? I'm going to opt out. Just know that there was a lot of punishment and wrath involved in today's reading, and the overall message seemed to be that the wicked will be eternally punished, but the righteous will be saved.
Psalm 142:1-7
I did understand the psalm, thank goodness. It was written by David, apparently when he was fleeing from Saul. In it, he prays to God for rescue.
Prov. 30: 21-23
And then Proverbs brought the portions of the Bible that I didn't understand today to 3 out of 4. Apparently, "a servant who becomes king," a fool with a full stomach, an "unloved woman who is married," and "a maidservant who displaces her mistress" are four things that cause the earth to tremble. I guess that all these things involve reversals of what is expected and proper. But it is interesting that much of the message of the Bible is that the poor will be lifted up and the proud will be brought low. Wouldn't that cause the earth to tremble, too, according to this reasoning?
Egad. More weird prophecies today, both in the OT and NT!
One of my weaknesses as a reader of prophecies is that I'm not great at picturing written descriptions of inanimate objects. I don't know what it is, b/c I have always tested really well in reading comprehension skills, but I just can never picture stuff like the tabernacle and Temple, or any kind of geographical layout just by reading about it. Today, I couldn't really even picture the lampstand, b/c, well, I don't use lampstands. And I don't know what the channels to the lights are. Or really, even what an olive branch looks like. I just do better with people and actions, rather than objects. Anyhow, there is this lampstand, and it is supposed to somehow represent Zerubbabel, who is going to rebuild the Temple. I think. And then they two olive branches are two people who "are anointed to serve the Lord of all the earth" (4:14). Okay.
And then there is a flying scroll filled with curses and promises of banishment for thieves and people "who swear falsely by [God's] name" (5:3-4). And then there is a big measuring basket with a woman inside, who represents the sin of the people in the land. And I thought, "What is he saying about women here?" But then it was carried by two women angels (I guess they were angels; verse 9 says that "they had wings like those of a stork"), so I calmed down about the choice of gender. The women angels were taking the basket "to the country of Babylonia to build a house for it" (11). I don't know what that means, but it can't bode well for Babylonia.
NT: Revelation 14:1-20
And the weirdness continues. Is it bad that I sort of think Revelation doesn't apply to me? I mean, I know it is supposed to be telling about the end times and all, but the symbolism is so heavy that I can't make heads or tails of it. And because it is so inaccessible, I just don't feel, deep down, like I am the intended audience. I just feel like if this were for me, I would understand more about it. Even OT prophecies, which were most definitely not written for me, are generally more accessible than Revelation. So maybe saying that Revelation doesn't apply to me is using the wrong phrase. It's more like I don't think it is for me.
Today, there are 144,000 righteous men standing before the Lamb on Mount Zion. I guess we are on earth in this picture--I often have a hard time telling whether we are in heaven or on earth in Revelation. Like, there are humans in this picture, and there is Mount Zion, but what is the Lamb doing there? Anyway, the 144,000 are blameless and redeemed and good to go, but I did wonder why it was just men. At least, I assume it was just men b/c it talks about not defiling themselves with women. And that in itself sounded somewhat misogynistic to me, and then I had to wonder if I was reading too much into a text that I clearly understand nothing about.
Do I have to keep summarizing? I'm going to opt out. Just know that there was a lot of punishment and wrath involved in today's reading, and the overall message seemed to be that the wicked will be eternally punished, but the righteous will be saved.
Psalm 142:1-7
I did understand the psalm, thank goodness. It was written by David, apparently when he was fleeing from Saul. In it, he prays to God for rescue.
Prov. 30: 21-23
And then Proverbs brought the portions of the Bible that I didn't understand today to 3 out of 4. Apparently, "a servant who becomes king," a fool with a full stomach, an "unloved woman who is married," and "a maidservant who displaces her mistress" are four things that cause the earth to tremble. I guess that all these things involve reversals of what is expected and proper. But it is interesting that much of the message of the Bible is that the poor will be lifted up and the proud will be brought low. Wouldn't that cause the earth to tremble, too, according to this reasoning?
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
December 22
OT: Zechariah 2:1-3:10
In another vision (or perhaps a continuation of the same one), the angel again assures Zechariah that God will plunder "the nations that have plundered you" (7-9). He also tells Zechariah that, "Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great numbers of men and livestock in it...and [God Himself] will be a wall of fire around it and...its glory within" (4-5). This vision of the walls of Jerusalem being removed and replaced by God Himself seems to be a vision of inclusiveness, which is continued in verse 11: "Many nations will be joined with Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you."
Then, we have an interesting section about the high priest, Joshua. I kept trying to make it about Jesus somehow (Joshua and Jesus are the same name, I think), but it didn't work b/c Joshua had soiled clothes, which represented his sins, which God then purified (3: 3-5). There still was something messianic about the whole thing, and verse 8 even said that the men involved were "symbolic of things to come," but I couldn't make it all work out in my head.
NT: Revelation 13:1b-18
Oh my goodness. No idea, no idea. There are beasts and dragons and horns and heads, and...I just don't know. If I had to guess, the two beasts represent countries? And the second beast is a country that formed an alliance with the stronger first beast? And I have no idea what the mark of the beast is, or what significance the number 666 has.
I did sort of like verse 10, as fatalistic as it was:
"If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed."
I don't know what appealed to me about such a fatalistic and bleak verse, but there is something kind of freeing, I guess, about realizing that what will be, will be. Oddly, it kind of takes the worry out of it for me, and helps me to just relax and turn myself over to what is going to happen. I'm not sure why it has that effect on me, but that's how I felt when I read that verse.
Psalm 141:1-10
I loved verses 1-4 of this psalm:
"O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.
Hear my voice when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies."
I have recently tried my hand at liturgical prayer for the first time, and I have to say, I like it. Verses 1-2 strike me as a great opening for a prayer, and verses 3-4 seems like a great later part of the same prayer. I particularly like the request for God to set a guard over my mouth. I definitely need that!
Prov. 30:18-20
No idea. The guy is talking about things he doesn't understand, like eagles and snakes and ships and relationships. I guess he's unmarried?
In another vision (or perhaps a continuation of the same one), the angel again assures Zechariah that God will plunder "the nations that have plundered you" (7-9). He also tells Zechariah that, "Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great numbers of men and livestock in it...and [God Himself] will be a wall of fire around it and...its glory within" (4-5). This vision of the walls of Jerusalem being removed and replaced by God Himself seems to be a vision of inclusiveness, which is continued in verse 11: "Many nations will be joined with Lord in that day and will become my people. I will live among you and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you."
Then, we have an interesting section about the high priest, Joshua. I kept trying to make it about Jesus somehow (Joshua and Jesus are the same name, I think), but it didn't work b/c Joshua had soiled clothes, which represented his sins, which God then purified (3: 3-5). There still was something messianic about the whole thing, and verse 8 even said that the men involved were "symbolic of things to come," but I couldn't make it all work out in my head.
NT: Revelation 13:1b-18
Oh my goodness. No idea, no idea. There are beasts and dragons and horns and heads, and...I just don't know. If I had to guess, the two beasts represent countries? And the second beast is a country that formed an alliance with the stronger first beast? And I have no idea what the mark of the beast is, or what significance the number 666 has.
I did sort of like verse 10, as fatalistic as it was:
"If anyone is to go into captivity,
into captivity he will go.
If anyone is to be killed with the sword,
with the sword he will be killed."
I don't know what appealed to me about such a fatalistic and bleak verse, but there is something kind of freeing, I guess, about realizing that what will be, will be. Oddly, it kind of takes the worry out of it for me, and helps me to just relax and turn myself over to what is going to happen. I'm not sure why it has that effect on me, but that's how I felt when I read that verse.
Psalm 141:1-10
I loved verses 1-4 of this psalm:
"O Lord, I call to you; come quickly to me.
Hear my voice when I call to you.
May my prayer be set before you like incense;
may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.
Set a guard over my mouth, O Lord;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Let not my heart be drawn to what is evil,
to take part in wicked deeds
with men who are evildoers;
let me not eat of their delicacies."
I have recently tried my hand at liturgical prayer for the first time, and I have to say, I like it. Verses 1-2 strike me as a great opening for a prayer, and verses 3-4 seems like a great later part of the same prayer. I particularly like the request for God to set a guard over my mouth. I definitely need that!
Prov. 30:18-20
No idea. The guy is talking about things he doesn't understand, like eagles and snakes and ships and relationships. I guess he's unmarried?
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
December 21
OT: Zechariah 1:1-21
I didn't have time to research Zechariah today, but I did see in the reading that he can join Haggai in the ranks of "prophets that the people actually listened to." In 1:2-6, he warns the people to repent from their sins, and at the end of verse 6, they do!
And then he has a vision. I think we can safely say that apocalyptic visions are not in my analytical wheelhouse. As a general rule, if there are horsemen or horns involved, it's not going to be my thing. The meaning of this vision seems simple enough, though: God is going to relent in his anger toward the exiled Israelites and restore them. In contrast, He is going to punish the nations who scattered them.
NT: Revelation 12:1-13:1a
I get more and more confused by Revelation, to the point where the best I can do is simply restate what happens. So, here goes:
Today, a woman surrounded by a moon and stars gives birth to a child. There is this huge, seven-headed dragon who is poised to eat the child right when it is born. But instead, the child is snatched up to heaven and the woman escapes into the desert where she is protected for 1,260 days, the same amount of time that those two prophets prophesied. Then there is a war in heaven, and Michael and the angels throw the dragon, Satan, to earth, where he pursues the woman (question: where did the woman have the baby? Heaven or earth?), but the woman is given the wings of an eagle to escape, and...you know what? You can read it yourself:). I just wish I knew what it all meant!
Psalm 140:1-13
David prays for rescue from evil men and for God's vengeance to come upon them.
Prov. 30:17
A particularly violent proverb against mocking and disobeying one's parents.
I didn't have time to research Zechariah today, but I did see in the reading that he can join Haggai in the ranks of "prophets that the people actually listened to." In 1:2-6, he warns the people to repent from their sins, and at the end of verse 6, they do!
And then he has a vision. I think we can safely say that apocalyptic visions are not in my analytical wheelhouse. As a general rule, if there are horsemen or horns involved, it's not going to be my thing. The meaning of this vision seems simple enough, though: God is going to relent in his anger toward the exiled Israelites and restore them. In contrast, He is going to punish the nations who scattered them.
NT: Revelation 12:1-13:1a
I get more and more confused by Revelation, to the point where the best I can do is simply restate what happens. So, here goes:
Today, a woman surrounded by a moon and stars gives birth to a child. There is this huge, seven-headed dragon who is poised to eat the child right when it is born. But instead, the child is snatched up to heaven and the woman escapes into the desert where she is protected for 1,260 days, the same amount of time that those two prophets prophesied. Then there is a war in heaven, and Michael and the angels throw the dragon, Satan, to earth, where he pursues the woman (question: where did the woman have the baby? Heaven or earth?), but the woman is given the wings of an eagle to escape, and...you know what? You can read it yourself:). I just wish I knew what it all meant!
Psalm 140:1-13
David prays for rescue from evil men and for God's vengeance to come upon them.
Prov. 30:17
A particularly violent proverb against mocking and disobeying one's parents.
Monday, December 20, 2010
December 20
OT: Haggai 1:1-2:23
Today, we polished off yet another bite-sized book of prophecy. Haggai, it seems to me, has the distinction of being one of the few prophets that people actually listened to. He tells the remnant of Israel to rebuild the Temple, and they then get to work! Crazy!
I think some of the principles in Haggai's advice to the people are timeless. He essentially tells the people to put God first, and not themselves. Only when they do that will they find true fulfillment. He tells them, "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it" (1:5-6). For one thing, I like Haggai's admonition, which he later repeats, to "give careful thought to your ways." I am a big fan of giving careful thought to one's ways. I think it is important to examine your actions as honestly as possible. And so I like how Haggai encourages such reflection. Secondly, I know that he is partially referencing the bleak economic conditions of the time (b/c I read the short intro that Harris gave), but I also think that Haggai is describing a timeless human condition in these verses. He describes that emptiness, that Sisyphus-like feeling of futility that you get when you aren't focused on what's important in life. Verses 5-6 describe a discontentment in the people, a sense of not being fulfilled with their lives. Haggai's answer is simple: you aren't fulfilled b/c you aren't focused on what's most important. You aren't putting God first.
I can relate to the people's situation b/c it is not like they are turning and running from God. Harris says that they had already laid the foundation of the Temple, but had become discouraged. It's not that they said they wouldn't build the Temple; it's just that they were putting it off: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built'" (1:2). Because of their life circumstances, it was not convenient, or perhaps even prudent, to proceed with construction. And yet Haggai tells them, you have to put God first, even when it is hard. I can totally see myself in the people's position, and so Haggai's instructions are meaningful to me, even in the 21st century.
NT: Revelation 11:1-19
Today, John is told to measure the Temple, minus the outer court, "because it has been given to the Gentiles" (2). I'm a little confused as to why that matters. Aren't Christian Jews cool with Gentiles now? Then, God foretells that two deadly messengers are going to prophesy for 1,260 days in sackcloth, and will be able to do all kinds of miracles and bring all kinds of plagues. Their power is very reminiscent of the power God showed through Moses in Egypt. Afterward, a beast will come from the Abyss and kill them, and everyone will be happy, and the people will leave the prophets' bodies outside for three and a half days. Then, they'll come back to life and ascend to heaven.
I found verse 8 to be oddly amusing: "Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified." In other words, John is saying, *Cough* "Jerusalem" *Cough.* I thought the statement was interesting for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the slam it is on Jerusalem. And also, why did he have to disguise the city, and why did he do such a poor job of "disguising" it. I mean, if I get it, you can bet the audience did, too.
Ooh, ooh! Or maybe it is Rome.
Anyway, after the two messengers go to heaven, an earthquake comes and terrifies everyone, prompting them to turn to God. Then, the seventh angel announces that the kingdom of Christ has officially come down to the earth, and the 24 elders sing praises to God. I thought that that was a pretty violent coming.
Lastly, God's Temple in heaven was opened, and there was the "real" (Platonically speaking) ark of the covenant, along with lightning and thunder.
Psalm 139: 1-24
A famous psalm, mainly because of verses 13-14, which are used to support the pro-life position in Christians. And again, don't get me wrong, b/c I'm very pro-life, but I'm not sure these are the passages I would turn to to "prove" that a fetus is a real person. I mean, it's a psalm! Are we supposed to take it literally? Two verses later, David claims that his frame was woven together in the depths of the earth (15)! Is that where we think babies are made? No. The point of the verses is, of course, that God had a specific plan for David even before he was born, which is a very pro-life point. But as far as using this as some kind of literal proof of when life begins...well, that just doesn't work for me.
Prov. 30:15-16
I think this is one where you need to read the whole chapter at one time b/c I am not getting the flow when the verses are chopped up like this. Today, we hear about four things that are never satisfied: the grave, the barren womb, land,and fire.
Today, we polished off yet another bite-sized book of prophecy. Haggai, it seems to me, has the distinction of being one of the few prophets that people actually listened to. He tells the remnant of Israel to rebuild the Temple, and they then get to work! Crazy!
I think some of the principles in Haggai's advice to the people are timeless. He essentially tells the people to put God first, and not themselves. Only when they do that will they find true fulfillment. He tells them, "Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it" (1:5-6). For one thing, I like Haggai's admonition, which he later repeats, to "give careful thought to your ways." I am a big fan of giving careful thought to one's ways. I think it is important to examine your actions as honestly as possible. And so I like how Haggai encourages such reflection. Secondly, I know that he is partially referencing the bleak economic conditions of the time (b/c I read the short intro that Harris gave), but I also think that Haggai is describing a timeless human condition in these verses. He describes that emptiness, that Sisyphus-like feeling of futility that you get when you aren't focused on what's important in life. Verses 5-6 describe a discontentment in the people, a sense of not being fulfilled with their lives. Haggai's answer is simple: you aren't fulfilled b/c you aren't focused on what's most important. You aren't putting God first.
I can relate to the people's situation b/c it is not like they are turning and running from God. Harris says that they had already laid the foundation of the Temple, but had become discouraged. It's not that they said they wouldn't build the Temple; it's just that they were putting it off: "These people say, 'The time has not yet come for the Lord's house to be built'" (1:2). Because of their life circumstances, it was not convenient, or perhaps even prudent, to proceed with construction. And yet Haggai tells them, you have to put God first, even when it is hard. I can totally see myself in the people's position, and so Haggai's instructions are meaningful to me, even in the 21st century.
NT: Revelation 11:1-19
Today, John is told to measure the Temple, minus the outer court, "because it has been given to the Gentiles" (2). I'm a little confused as to why that matters. Aren't Christian Jews cool with Gentiles now? Then, God foretells that two deadly messengers are going to prophesy for 1,260 days in sackcloth, and will be able to do all kinds of miracles and bring all kinds of plagues. Their power is very reminiscent of the power God showed through Moses in Egypt. Afterward, a beast will come from the Abyss and kill them, and everyone will be happy, and the people will leave the prophets' bodies outside for three and a half days. Then, they'll come back to life and ascend to heaven.
I found verse 8 to be oddly amusing: "Their bodies will lie in the street of the great city, which is figuratively called Sodom and Egypt, where also their Lord was crucified." In other words, John is saying, *Cough* "Jerusalem" *Cough.* I thought the statement was interesting for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is the slam it is on Jerusalem. And also, why did he have to disguise the city, and why did he do such a poor job of "disguising" it. I mean, if I get it, you can bet the audience did, too.
Ooh, ooh! Or maybe it is Rome.
Anyway, after the two messengers go to heaven, an earthquake comes and terrifies everyone, prompting them to turn to God. Then, the seventh angel announces that the kingdom of Christ has officially come down to the earth, and the 24 elders sing praises to God. I thought that that was a pretty violent coming.
Lastly, God's Temple in heaven was opened, and there was the "real" (Platonically speaking) ark of the covenant, along with lightning and thunder.
Psalm 139: 1-24
A famous psalm, mainly because of verses 13-14, which are used to support the pro-life position in Christians. And again, don't get me wrong, b/c I'm very pro-life, but I'm not sure these are the passages I would turn to to "prove" that a fetus is a real person. I mean, it's a psalm! Are we supposed to take it literally? Two verses later, David claims that his frame was woven together in the depths of the earth (15)! Is that where we think babies are made? No. The point of the verses is, of course, that God had a specific plan for David even before he was born, which is a very pro-life point. But as far as using this as some kind of literal proof of when life begins...well, that just doesn't work for me.
Prov. 30:15-16
I think this is one where you need to read the whole chapter at one time b/c I am not getting the flow when the verses are chopped up like this. Today, we hear about four things that are never satisfied: the grave, the barren womb, land,and fire.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)